Long Lost Fathers and Other Strangers
by Samantha J. Mulder
Summary: Twelve years ago, Keely's dad left without so much as a goodbye. Now he's back, but it isn't exactly a happy reunion. As Keely struggles with forgiving her father, Phil tries to protect her from getting hurt all over again.
1. Chapter 1

A/n: This is a story I've been thinking about for some time now but it took me awhile to figure out how best to put my ideas together. I'm pretty happy with the result, it's a little different, but I think y'all will like it.

**Long Lost Fathers and Other Strangers**

Chapter 1

"So, Owen's party tomorrow night sounds like it'll be fun," Keely Teslow said to her boyfriend as they walked home from school hand in hand.

"Knowing Owen it'll be completely over the top," Phil replied, using his free hand to flip up his jacket collar against the bitter January wind. "But it should be entertaining to say the least."

They walked along, talking about the upcoming weekend until they reached the edge of Keely's ornament cluttered front lawn, where Phil spotted something strange. "Hey, Keel, who's that guy sitting on your porch?"

Keely turned her attention towards the house and a look of complete shock crossed her face. "That's...my dad."

She could hardly believe the words even as she said them. When her father had walked out without so much as a goodbye when she was five, she never expected to see him again, but now here he was, twelve years later, sitting on her front porch as if he'd never left.

Phil practically had to drag Keely the last few feet to the porch and when they reached it, her dad stood up. He was tall, with unruly blond hair and a good deal of beard stubble that made him seem rugged. As Phil quickly studied him, his long-held suspicions that his girlfriend got her looks from her father rather than her short, brunette mother were confirmed.

"Hey, kid," he said to Keely, with an awkward sort of grin.

"Hi, Dad," Keely replied, tightening the death grip she had on Phil's hand.

Dad. It was such a strange word to Keely. Since her father had left when she was so young, she never really knew what it was like to have a dad. Most her life she had had to adopt father figures; first there was Mr. Sullivan, a kind old gentleman who live next door to the Teslows and would tell her stories about being in the air force during World War II. Then there was Tia's dad, who was always happy to help her with her math homework and most recently there was Lloyd Diffy, who never failed to treat her like a second daughter and had even once taken her to annual Pickford father-daughter dance since she'd never gotten to go and Pim flat out refused.

It seemed sort of surreal, now, having her real father standing on her front porch after all those years and she couldn't think of anything to say to him.

Phil looked over at Keely and quickly decided it was up to him to break the awkward silence.

"Phil Diffy," he said, extending his hand.

Keely's father shook it. "Jeff Teslow." Then, noticing the occupation of Phil's other hand, he asked, "Boyfriend?"

"Slash best friend slash fashion consultant," Phil replied, desperately trying to lighten the mood. It didn't work.

Phil nudged Keely and she finally seemed to snap out her daze. "Do you, uh, want to come it, Dad?"

"Sure."

As Keely unlocked the door, Phil whispered to her, "Hey, Keel, I can't feel my fingers."

"Oh, sorry," she replied, loosening her grip on his hand.

"Thanks, sweetie."

Once inside, Phil and Keely set down their backpacks and sat down on the couch while Jeff settled in an armchair.

"So, Keely," Jeff said, "how have you been?"

"I've, uh...I've been good," Keely answered, rather uncertainly.

"That's good. How's school?"

"It's okay. I'm graduating this year."

"Really? Already?"

"Yeah. I'll be eighteen in May."

"Wow. Eighteen. Time sure does fly. It seems like only yesterday you were a cute little pigtailed five year old."

"That's because I _was _five the last time you saw me."

An awkward sort of silence followed and Phil desperately tired to think of something to say to break it. He was saved the trouble, however, by the phone ringing.

"I'd better get that," Keely said, getting up.

She left and instantly Phil wished she hadn't because now he was left alone with her father. Neither of the looked at each other or said anything for a couple of long minutes.

Finally, Jeff said, "So, how long have you two been dating?"

"Almost two years."

Jeff raised his eyebrows, Phil's answer taking him by surprise. He had expected a few weeks or a couple of months, but certainly not two years. "Two years, wow. You and Keely must be pretty close."

"Yeah, we are," Phil replied, not feeling the need to elaborate.

They both fell silent again but luckily, Keely came back shortly after.

"That was Mom," she said, sitting back down next to Phil and slipping her hand into his, "she said she has to work late so she won't be home for dinner."

"Well, that's okay," Jeff said, "why don't you and I go out to dinner, Keely? We can spend some time catching up."

Keely shot Phil a look and he could tell she was not at all comfortable with this idea. He thought fast. "Why don't you both come over to my house for dinner?"

"Are you sure?" Jeff asked.

"Of course. It'll be no problem."

Jeff shrugged. "All right."

They all got up and as they headed to the door, Keely kissed Phil on the cheek and whispered in his ear, "Thank you." He smiled in return.

The three walked the short distance to the Diffy house in silence, Keely trying to sort out her thoughts, Phil walking beside her holding her hand and Jeff following close behind them, hands in his pockets.

When they walked in the back door, Barb greeted them with a cheerful, "Hi, Phil, hi Keely," without looking up from the salad she was making.

"Hi, Mom."

"Hi, Mrs. Diffy."

"How was--" She cut herself off when she looked up at them and noticed Jeff.

"Mom, this is Keely's dad," Phil supplied.

"Jeff Teslow," he said, offering her his hand, which she shook.

"Barbara Diffy."

Barb looked at Phil, who just raised his eyebrows in response, then at Keely who looked like she was on the verge of tears.

Lloyd wandered into the kitchen without noticing Jeff and said, "Honey, do you remember what channel _Who Wants to Marry Martha Stewart? _is on?"

"Lloyd, this is Keely's father, Jeff."

As Jeff shook Lloyd's hand, he said, "You know, I love that show. I'm sort of a closet reality TV junkie."

Lloyd laughed. "Aren't we all? You want to watch?"

"Sure!"

The two men headed off to the living room and Phil turned to his mom. "Hey, Mom, Keely and I'll be up in my room if you need us."

Barbara understood. She nodded and the two headed upstairs.

In his room, Phil sat down on the edge of his bed and gestured for Keely to sit next to him but she didn't. She started pacing up and down.

"I can't believe it, Phil! I can't believe he would just show up out the blue like this, after twelve years of ignoring me! Twelve years! Twelve years of wondering what he was doing, why he left, if he was thinking about me, if he even cared about me! Do you know I used to write to him? I wrote him long letters and told him all about school, my friends and my cat, about how much I love music and how I want to be a reporter. You know what I got back? Three postcards and a couple of birthday cards nowhere near my birthday! I spent twelve years thinking my father didn't even remember I existed and now he just shows up and expects us to be all close! Yeah, well, I don't think I can do that!"

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and sat down next to Phil. "I don't know if I can forgive him after everything. I want him in my life because he is my dad, after all, but I don't want to get close to him only to have him leave all over again. I just...I don't know what to do..."

Keely couldn't fight back her tears any longer. She buried her face in Phil's shirt and let herself cry. Phil wrapped his arms around her but didn't say anything, becuase, he knew, she didn't need him to. All she needed right now was for him to hold her, something he was particularly good at.

As he gently stroked her hair, Phil couldn't help but think that he did not like this situation with Keely's dad at all. Keely was in pain and, for the first time since they'd known each other, Phil was powerless to fix it. It was not a feeling he enjoyed.

A few minutes later, Phil herd his mom call them to dinner. Keely looked up at him and he used his thumb to wipe away a stray tear from her cheek. "Are you going to be okay?" he asked, handing her a Kleenex.

She nodded and blew her nose. The two headed towards the dinning room, but at the top of the stairs, Phil stopped Keely. He leaned over and whispered to her, "Just remember, no matter what happens, I still love you."

"Thanks," Keely replied then, to show him had a cheered her up a little, she added with a smile, "Philly-willy."

Phil smiled to himself and shook his head as he followed her downstairs.

Dinner was uneventful and a bit subdued. Lloyd and Jeff chatted about their favorite reality TV moments while Pim told whoever would listen about her latest battle with the Fashion Zombies. Keely stared at her plate, avoiding eye contact with her father and Phil and Barb ate quietly, both silently worrying about her.

After dinner, Phil told Barb he was going to walk Keely home and he, Keely and Jeff shared another silent walk back to her house.

When they reached the front yard, Jeff said, "Well, I'd better get going. I'll come by tomorrow or something, okay?"

"Yeah, sure, Dad." Keely replied, quietly.

After a long awkward moment during which Keely and Jeff looked at each then quickly looked away, Jeff headed towards his pickup truck parked at the curb while Phil and Keely headed towards the house.

On the porch, Phil said, "It's certainly been one crazy day, hasn't it?"

"Yeah. I don't know what I would have done without you today, Phil."

"Hey, I've always got your back, remember?" He pulled her into his arms. "I love you."

"I love you too."

As she kissed him, Keely let herself forget briefly about the events of the day and lose herself in the moment.

At the curb, Jeff started up his truck and glanced over his shoulder at the house, where he spotted his daughter in the middle of a rather passionate kiss with her boyfriend. As he put the truck into gear and pulled away from the curb, Jeff Teslow suddenly had a very strong dislike of Phil Diffy. It was a feeling he hadn't experienced earlier in the evening but after the scene on the porch, he didn't think he had ever utterly disliked anyone so much in his life.

A/n: Reviews are very, very much appreciated as this is a brand new story and I'd like to know what was good about it. So tell me what you think! Next chapter should be up real soon, I promise!

--Sam Mulder

D/c: Disney owns all things PotF, I just borrow them.


	2. Chapter 2

A/n: See, I am capable of fast updating occasionally. Enjoy!

Chapter 2

The next night, Phil rang the the Teslow's doorbell, nervously tapping his foot against the worn wood of the porch. He hoped Keely was in a better state than she had been when they'd said goodnight the previous evening. Keely answered the door and flashed him a smile. He could tell she was feeling better but still wasn't back to her cheerful, bubbly self, which, he thought, was understandable given the circumstances.

In his mom's car, Phil headed in the opposite direction to Keely was expecting. "Aren't we going to Owen's party?" She asked, raising her eyebrows at him.

He shook his head. "Nope. I thought we'd just hang out at my house instead. Order a pizza, watch a couple of movies. Mom and Dad are at some play downtown and Pim's at Danny's working on a school project so we'll have the house to ourselves" He looked over at her. "I figure it was better, you know, considering everything."

Keely smiled. Even with as long as she'd know him, Phil's thoughtfulness still amazed her sometimes. "Thanks, Phil."

At the Diffy house, Phil ordered the pizza and then settled on the couch with Keely. As they waited for and ate their pizza, Phil and Keely watched a dumb teen comedy neither of them liked very much. When it was over, Keely, "So what's next?"

Phil grinned. "I've got a movie that'll cheer you right up." He hit play on the DVD player and sat back down on the couch next to her.

Keely couldn't help but smile as the opening titles of _Mary Poppins _came on the screen. _Mary Poppins _had always been one of her favorite movies.

"You know, it's scary how well you know me."

Phil just laughed as he put his arm around her. She snuggled against him and laid her head on his chest. As she watched Julie Andrews sing about spoonfuls of sugar, Keely forced herself to forget everything about the situation at hand and focus on the movie. She was, after all, in Phil's arms, the one place she always felt safe and protected, no matter what was going with the rest of the world.

Meanwhile, at the Teslow house, Jeff was sitting in the kitchen, drinking coffee with Mandy.

"So, I met Phil yesterday," he said, stirring sugar into his coffee.

Mandy took a sip from her Pickford Realtors Association mug and said, "I'm not surprised. He and Keely are pretty inseparable. Where there's Keely, there's usually Phil."

"I met his family too."

"The Diffys? They sure are nice, aren't they? I'm glad Keely has some place safe to go when I'm not around."

"So you approve of this relationship?"

Mandy looked at him, a little confused. "Of course I approve. Why wouldn't I? Phil's a good guy."

"Yeah, well, I don't like him."

Mandy was starting to get annoyed. "That's because you don't know him, Jeff. Phil is a wonderful, upstanding young man who has been nothing but an incredible best friend and boyfriend to Keely."

"I can't believe you would let our daughter run around with some boy, Mandy. Do you know they were kissing on your front porch when I left last night?"

She laughed in disbelief. "Do you hear yourself when you talk, Jeff? First of all, they're teenagers, they're allowed to kiss. And second of all, I'm not letting her run around with some boy, I'm letting her be with someone who cares about her and makes her happy. I watched those two fall in love and there isn't anybody who deserves to be together more than Keely and Phil."

"Love? Are you kidding me? They're just kids, Mandy!"

"No, they're not. Even if you don't want to admit it, you're daughter is all grown up and in a serious relationship. Just because weren't around for when she was growing up, Jeff, doesn't mean it didn't happen."

Neither of them said anything after that, both of them just stared into their respective coffee cups. Finally, Mandy said, "Well, I've got some work to do." She didn't, but she needed an excuse to get rid of him.

"Right. I'll leave." Jeff drained the last of his coffee and left, leaving Mandy wondering how she ever stood being married to him.

Back at the Diffy residence, Dick Van Dyke was now singing about shaking hands with a chimney sweep being good luck and Keely had fallen asleep, having not gotten very much sleep the night before. Phil smiled and decided not to wake her up until after the movie was over. She looked so peaceful, asleep in his arms, holding onto his shirt in her sleep as assurance that he wasn't going to leave.

A/n: Thanks for all the great reviews! I got a lot of comments on Jeff's character and after this chapter I'm sure I'll get quite a few more. When I first started writing this, Jeff was sort of based on Christopher from _Gilmore Girls, _because that was what originally inspired me to do a story about Keely's dad, but as I got into it, his character sort of evolved and took on a life of his own, which all the best characters do. Anyway, leave me a review, like always, and stay tuned for the next chapter!

--Sam


	3. Chapter 3

A/n: This chapter would have been up much sooner except that at one point, the story didn't get saved like I thought it did so I lost this chapter and most of the next which meant I had to rewrite it all.

Chapter 3

The following day, Phil walked up to Keely's house to find Jeff coming down the porch steps.

"What are you doing here?" Jeff demanded of the younger man.

Jeff's tone took him by surprise, but Phil answered, "Keely left her phone at my house last night. I was just bringing it by." He held up the pink cell phone as evidence.

"Well, she's not home."

Feeling vastly uncomfortable, Phil turned to leave but as he did, Jeff said, "If you know what's good for you, you'll stay away from my daughter."

Phil turned back around. "Are you threatening me, Mr. Teslow?"

"No. I just think it would be best for everyone involved if you and Keely didn't see each other anymore."

"No offense, sir, but I really don't think you've been around enough to know what's best for Keely."

"Oh, and I suppose you do."

"Well, I don't know about that," Phil admitted, "but I do know that taking her away from someone who loves her and does everything in his power to protect her is far from what's best for her."

"Quit trying to play the hero, kid. Puppy love never lasts."

Phil was really mad by this point, something that was really quite rare given his easy going personality. "Keely is the single most important person in my life, Mr. Teslow, I love her with all my heart and I have been there for her no matter what and until you can say the same thing, I don't think you have any right to criticize our relationship."

With that, Phil turned and left. He had feeling that if he'd had been involved in that conversation another minute, he would have taken a swing at Jeff, something that would not have come out favorably for Phil, considering Jeff had about a foot and twenty years on him.

A/n: Sorry this chapter's so short. The plot point didn't really fit with anything else. The next chapter is much longer, I promise, and should be up really soon. Leave me a review as always!

--Sam


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The next afternoon, Keely found her father waiting for her when she got home from school. This time, however, she was ready for him. Mandy and Phil had both filled her in on their rather heated conversations with Jeff and now she had something to say to him.

"Keely, we need to talk," he said when she reached the house.

"Yeah, we do."

They sat across from each other at the kitchen table.

"Keely," Jeff started, "I want you to know that my leaving twelve years ago had nothing to with you. I never meant to hurt you. I was just confused, and I didn't know how to handle things. My life wasn't going the way I wanted it to so I just...left. I realized a long time ago what I a big mistake I'd made by not being involved in your life but I had no idea how to fix it. I figured you'd hate me."

Keely took a deep breath. "I don't want to hate you, Dad. I want you in my life, but you're going to have to realize that I'm not five anymore, I'm all grown up. I have a life, a great life and you can't just show up and try to change things. If you want to be in my life you're going to have to learn to accept the people that already in it. That means Mom and Phil."

"Keely--"

She cut him off. "No, Dad, you need to hear this. Mom and Phil are always going to be my life so you're going to have to learn to get along with them. Mom has done a spectacular job of raising me by herself. She works so hard and has never been anything but loving and supportive.

"As for Phil, he and I are a package deal. You get one of us, you get the other. There's not a whole lot you can do to split us up. Phil's here to stay, no matter how much you threaten him. I think you figured that much out from your talk with him yesterday."

"I guess I was a little hard on him."

"A little? From what Phil told me, it sounds like you were auditioning for a Lifetime movie with all the drama you caused."

"I know. And I am sorry, Keely. I was trying to look out for you. I just went a little overboard."

"I'm big girl, Dad, I can look out for myself."

"I know, Keely, your mother made that perfectly clear. I think that's what scares me the most. You're all grown up and I have no idea who you are."

Keely didn't know what to say and a long silence followed. Keely finally decided it was time to change the subject and ask the question she'd been dying to ask since her father had first shown up on her porch. "Where have you been all these years, Dad?"

Jeff seemed grateful for the change of subject. "Boston."

"Wow. Boston. Red Sox. Harvard. Tea parties. Matt Damon." Keely realized she was rambling. "So what are you doing in California?"

"Well, that's actually the whole reason for my visit. I'm moving back to Pickford."

"Really? You're moving back?"

"Yeah. Well, actually, I'm almost all moved in already. Anyway, I got transfered to an ad agency out here so I decided to move back to my hometown."

"Wow." As Keely was trying to sort out her feelings about this turn of events, Jeff divulged a piece of information that made her head spin.

"That's not all," he said, "I, uh, I got remarried."

"I have a stepmom?" Keely wasn't sure how she felt about this either.

"Yeah. Linda. And a stepsister."

"A stepsister?" The more Jeff talked, it seemed, the more foggy the whole situation became in Keely's mind.

"Yup. Amber. She's year younger than you."

"Golly...a stepsister..."

"There's more."

Keely looked at him in absolute disbelief, not knowing if she could take anymore. She wondered what else there could possibly be. Was her father about to go all _Princess Diaries _on her and tell her she was set to inherit the throne to some obscure European principality?

Jeff's news wasn't quite so royal. although it left Keely as thunderstruck as if she _had_ been named the new princess of Genovia. "You also have a half brother and half sister."

"I have a..." Keely let her voice trail off. Her shock had momentarily overtaken all functions of her brain.

"Hey, how about you come over for dinner on Friday? The house should be all put together by then."

"I don't know..."

"Come on, Keely. Everyone would be happy to meet you." Jeff read the uncertainty in her face and said, "Tell you what, you can even bring Phil, if it would make you feel better." He still wasn't sure how he felt about Phil but he figured Keely might be more apt to come if she had someone she trusted with her.

Keely considered this. She was curious about her father's new family and having Phil there would ensure she would have someone on her side.

"Okay," she agreed. "We'll be there."

"Great." He glanced at his watch. "I've got to run. See you on Friday."

He left, leaving Keely sitting there trying desperately to sort through the hundreds of thoughts running through her mind and failing miserably. She finally decided she wasn't going to figure anything out alone, so she called Phil.

Within minutes, Phil was ringing her doorbell. Keely opened the door, pulled him inside and threw her arms around him.

"Whoa! Is everything okay, Keel?" Phil asked, hugging her.

She let go of him. "He has a whole other family, Phil. Without me."

"Who? I think you need to start at the beginning and fill in the gaps for me."

He took her hand lead her to the living room where he sat her down on the sofa.

"Okay, take it from the top."

"My dad got remarried. He has a wife and kids, and a whole happy life without me. How come he had to go have those kids when he had me all along?" Phil didn't have an answer for her and, as it turned out, she didn't want one. "I guess that's the real reason he ignored me for twelve years. He was too busy with the kids he actually wanted to bother with me. I guess I just wasn't good enough for him."

"Don't say that Keely, you know it's not true." She didn't reply but continued to stare angrily at the carpet. "Look at me Keel." She looked up at him. "You are smart and talented and beautiful and if your dad can't see that, it's his fault not yours. It's his loss, really, missing all those years with you."

When Keely still didn't say anything, Phil said, "Look, Keel, I know you don't want to hear this, but I think you need put aside whatever negative feelings you have towards your dad and be happy for him. Yes, it wasn't right of him to walk out on you and yes, it wasn't very thoughtful of him to spring all of this on you at once but if he's happy with his new family, you should be happy for him."

Keely stared at him for a long moment, wondering how he how he always knew exactly what to do and marveling at his unique ability to approach every situation calmly and objectively. He was right, of course, and the more she thought about it, the more what he said made sense.

"You're right, Phil. He's my dad and if he's happy, I should be happy for him." Keely still wasn't sure how she would go about accomplishing this, but she was going to try her best. "By the way, my dad wants us to come to dinner on Friday night and meet his family."

"That's--" Phil started but then realized what she'd said. "Wait, us? Us who?"

"Me and you."

Phil suddenly thought he knew what it must have been like to be Harry Potter facing down that Hungarian Horntail, only Phil didn't know any magic and future technology was useless against dragons...and his girlfriend's 21st century father.

When Keely saw the look on his face she said, "I know you'd probably rather spend your Friday night with anyone but my father, but I need you there, Phil. I can't do this alone."

Phil sighed. He knew he had to go. He had never failed to be there for Keely when she needed him and he wasn't about to start. "Yeah, I'll be there. But you owe me big time."

"I think I can handle that." Keely smiled then leaned in and gave him a long kiss.

A few minutes later, they were still kissing and just as things were getting good, Phil remember he had some where to be.

"As much as I'm enjoying this, I've got to take off," Phil said. Keely gave him a quizzical look and he clarified. "My dad caught a cold and thinks he's dying so I'm covering for him at the hardware store."

"Oh, okay."

"Trust me, Keel, I'd much rather be here, making out with you."

She laughed and walked him to the door, where he gave her one last kiss.

When Phil came home a few hours later, Barb greeted him when he walked in the back door.

"Hi, sweetie, how was the hardware store?"

"Slow," Phil answered, sitting down at the counter. "I had time to finish all my homework and watch Curtis build a pyramid out of cans of varnish. How's Dad?"

"Better, but from the way he's acting you'd think he'd come down with the plague instead of a common 21st century cold."

Phil rolled his eyes. "Dad always was a drama queen."

Barb didn't reply but instead studied her son for a moment. He had his elbows on the counter and was holding his head in his hands. "You look like you've got the weight of the world on your shoulders, Phil. What's wrong?"

He looked up at her. "It's Keely."

"Did you two have a fight?"

Phil shook his head. "No, we're fine. It's this thing with her dad. It's got her so confused and hurt. I want to fix it but I just don't know what to do."

"There's not really anything you can do," Barb said. "This is something Keely has to figure out for herself, Phil. But I know Keely, she's a strong girl. She'll make it through."

"I know. I just hate seeing her like this and knowing there wasn't anything I could have done to protect her."

Barb patted his arm. "Honey, I know you don't want Keely to get hurt but there are going to be times like this where you're not going to be able to do anything about it. That's just life, Phil, and its part of being in a relationship. All you can really do is be there to listen to her, give her a shoulder to cry on, and love her."

He smiled. "All things I'm good at."

Barb smiled as she watched him head up the stairs. She was incredibly proud of her son. She knew he cared about Keely more than even himself, and that he would do anything for her. She was often amazed at the strength of their relationship and the depth of their dedication to each other and she was happy Phil had found someone he could share such an intense love with.

A/n: I don't know why I enjoy writing Barb so much but I keep coming back to her for scenes like this. The funny thing is, that scene wasn't planned, it just sort of wrote itself. Anyway, the next chapter should be up soon and as of right now, I think it's going to the last.

--Sam


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Friday night came a lot sooner that Phil would have liked. As he stood on a porch across town from his own house, he could think of a thousand things he'd rather be doing; a good number of them involved being alone with Keely and none of them involved being within ten miles of her father. But Keely needed him so he would follow her to the edge of the universe and back, however unpleasant it might be.

Jeff answered the door. "Hi, Keely. Hi, Phil," he said as he let them inside. A smiling woman who wouldn't have been out of place amongst the Stepford wives was standing behind him.

"Keely, this is my wife, Linda. Linda, this is Keely and her boyfriend, Phil."

Linda's smile only got wider. "Keely, I've been looking forward to meeting you! I can't wait to get to know you. Why don't you come into the kitchen while I finish dinner so we can chat?"

Before Keely could answer, Linda was already dragging her off towards the kitchen. Keely shot Phil a "get me out of this" look but when he started to follow them, Jeff stopped him.

"Phil, I want to apologize for the other day. I was completely out of line. I was just scared, you know? It was a little hard for me to accept that my daughter was all grown up and I guess I figured if I got rid of you, I'd have better control of the situation. I'm sorry, Phil."

"Apology accepted, Mr. Teslow."

"Good man. How about we start over? I'll give you a second chance if you give me one."

"Deal."

Phil shook his hand and Jeff smiled . "You know, I actually have a lot of respect for what you did, standing up for what you believe like that. I guess Keely really is lucky to have someone like you in her life. I'm sure you'll take good care of her."

"Thanks, Mr. Teslow. That really means a lot to me."

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, it was all Keely could do not to slam her head on the counter. "So, that boyfriend of yours is pretty cute," Linda said, "How long have you two been together?"

"Two years," Keely answered, praying she wouldn't have to go into any details.

"Wow. Sounds serious."

"Yeah, it is."

Keely's prayers were answered. Linda changed the subject. "Any idea what you're going to study in college next year?"

"Broadcast journalism." Keely figured keeping her answers short was the best way to avoid any sort of real conversation with Linda. As she answered questions after annoying, mundane question about every aspect of her life, Keely was reminded of a _Gilmore Girls _episode in which Rory and Lorelai were forced to endure idle chit chat with a group of overly enthusiastic bed and breakfast patrons. Much like Lorelai Gilmore, Keely had never been good at the small talk.

Lucky for Keely, dinner was soon ready and she followed Linda into the dinning room. Seated at the table were Phil and Jeff who, much to Keely's surprise, seemed to be getting along; a girl about her age, a ten year old boy with a mop of brown hair and little 6 year old girl who, with her blond hair and green eyes, looked almost exactly like Keely had at that age.

Keely sat down next to Phil and Jeff introduced her to the rest of his family. "Keely, this is Linda's daughter Amber. She'll be going to school with you starting on Monday."

Amber looked like she didn't want to be even remotely associated with either Keely or Phil and they were both strongly reminded of Candida, Pim's Fashion Zombie rival.

Jeff continued. "And this Scott and Lily."

During dinner, Keely ate quietly, taking in everything and everyone around her. Amber didn't talk much and looked like she'd rather be anywhere else. Keely could tell already that they weren't going to be buddies any time soon. Phil was involved in an animated conversation with Scott, something about a science fiction novel called _Ringworld _ that Keely didn't understand. Lily happily hummed to herself as she ate as Jeff chatted with Linda.

Linda, with her perfect hair and neatly pressed dress was quite the opposite of Keely's own eccentric mother and the energetic Barbara Diffy and Keely wasn't sure how she felt about her yet. She didn't know how anyone could leave the throughly unique Mandy for someone whose housewife skills could put all of Wisteria Lane to shame but Keely was determined to be happy for her father.

After dinner, Jeff ushered Keely, Phil and Amber into the living room, saying, "You three should really talk, since you're going to be seeing plenty of each other in school."

As soon as he left, Amber's cell phone rang and she stalked out of the room to answer it, glaring at Phil and Keely as she went.

"Well, that wasn't so bad," Phil said.

Keely laughed, then said, "Hey, I'm going to go find the bathroom."

She left and Phil sat down on the couch. Not more than a minute later, Lily came skipping into the room and sat down next to him.

"Are you my new brother?" She asked him.

"Nope. Keely's your sister and I'm her boyfriend."

"Oh." Lily processed this information, then said, "I had a boyfriend in Boston. His name was Joey. We shared a cubby."

"Oh, that's nice. Do you miss him?"

Lily shook her head. "No! He's not my boyfriend anymore. He broke my Powerpuff doll."

Before Phil could respond, Lily asked, "Wanna play with me?"

"Sure," he replied and she ran off.

Lily returned shortly after with armful of toys. Onto the carpet she dropped a Batmobile, assorted Disney princess figurines, a handful of Harry Potter Legos, Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable action figures and a Barbie doll dressed like Jackie Kennedy. Lily handed Phil a Hermione Granger Lego, Ron Stoppable and Sleeping Beauty, then she put Jackie Kennedy in the Batmobile, picked up Kim Possible and proceed to tell Phil a story about "how KP was saving the pretty lady."

When Keely returned to the living room, the scene she found made her smile. It was at the same time the sweetest and funniest thing she had ever seen. Phil was sitting on the floor with Lily, Sleeping Beauty in one hand and Hermione Granger in the other. He held up the princess and said in a high pitched voice, "You can't use magic on me, I'm the princess!" Then, holding up the Hermione Lego, he said, in another high pitched voice, this one with a bad British accent added, "Of course I can! I'm in my seventh year at Hogwarts! Wingardium Leviosa!" He flew Sleeping Beauty around while Lily rolled on the floor in hysterical laughter.

"Bravo!" Keely said. "That was an Oscar-worthy performance if I ever saw one."

Phil snapped his head around. "Keely! How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to wonder if Emma Watson should be worried about her job security."

Phil's face turned bright red as she laughed. She pulled him to his feet as she said, "Come on, Princess, we'd better get going."

Lily looked up at Phil. "Will you come back and play with me?"

"Of course," he replied with a smile.

Lily jumped up on the couch so she was tall enough to kiss Phil on the cheek. "'Bye Phil!"

After saying goodbye to Jeff and Linda, Keely and Phil were on their way. In the car, Phil said, "Well, that wasn't nearly as horrible as I thought it would be."

"I don't like them."

"Golly, Keel, don't hold back. Tell me how you really feel."

She ignored his sarcasm. "I don't like them, Phil."

"I'll admit that Amber isn't exactly Miss Congeniality and Linda seems like she belongs in a _Twilight Zone _episode but Scott pretty cool, smart too, and that Lily is just about the cutest kid I've ever seen. You got lucky, your sister isn't a wannabe evil dictator bent on world domination."

"I still don't like them."

"You don't know them. You just met them. Remember you weren't exactly president of my fan club the first time we met."

"That because I didn't know you."

"Exactly!"

Keely didn't want to admit it but he had her there. She couldn't think of a reasonable argument so she went with, "Yeah, well, that was different."

"Keely, you have to give them a chance," Phil said as he pulled into her driveway.

"I'll try, Phil, but it's hard."

"I know," he said, following her up the porch steps, "but they're important to your dad. Think of it this way: if you expect him to get to know me, you should get to know the people who are important to him. I know it's not easy, Keel, but it's a two way street."

"Do you ever get tired of being right all the time?"

"No, after eighteen years, I'm pretty used to it."

She smiled. "Thank you, Phil."

"For what?"

"For everything. For being there for me through this whole thing."

"Don't mention it. You know you'd do the same for me."

"I know. But it doesn't mean I don't appreciate it." She hugged him. "I will never stop being grateful that I have you in my life." life." She pulled back a little so she could look at him. "Just promise me you'll never leave me for June Cleaver, like my dad."

"Of course not! Donna Reed maybe, but never June Cleaver."

She gave him a look and he smiled. "Keely, I'm not going anywhere. I love you and there isn't anyone I'd rather be with."

"Not even Donna Reed?"

"I don't know, you're not much of a cook..."

Keely smiled. "Hey, I bet Katie Couric can't cook either."

Phil laughed then leaned over and kissed her.

"Well, I've got to get going. See you tomorrow."

"'Night, Phil."

As Keely watched Phil pull out of her driveway and take off towards his own house, she felt for the first time in a week, like she had her situation under control. She still wasn't sure how she felt about her father's return or the new people in his life but she was going to try to accept the changes and somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew everything was going to turn out all right in the end.

A/n: I'm still considering doing one more chapter of this story, an epilogue, but I haven't decided for sure yet. So stay tuned for either another chapter or a new story. As always, reviews are appreciated!

--Sam Mulder


End file.
